Over the past 5 years, giants have invested in Wroclaw. Thousands of new jobs have been added

The city's resilience to crises is also evidenced by large reinvestments by companies that have been associated with the Lower Silesian capital for years, including BNY Mellon, 3M, EY and Global Logic.

Investors who have decided to start their operations in Wroclaw over the past five years include those who have located their shared service centers here, as well as opened manufacturing plants.

- Wroclaw and the agglomeration have proved to be resistant to crises, says Magdalena Okulowska, president of the Wroclaw Agglomeration Development Agency. - In five years, both production facilities and the modern business services sector have developed. Thanks to our activities, the openness of the city and municipalities or economic zones, dozens of companies have located or developed their businesses. We are pleased by both these new spectacular investments and the reinvestment of partners that have already set their sights on Wroclaw years ago. This proves that regardless of crises, we are not slowing down temp

Modern services for business

Among the large international corporations that have decided to locate their capital near the capital of Lower Silesia in recent years was Olympus. This leading global manufacturer of technology for medical systems, scientific solutions and digital cameras, opened a new Olympus Business Services Europe (OBSE) in Wroclaw in 2018, which became a shared services center for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, thereby streamlining administrative services across the EMEA region in areas related to finance, supply chain management, sales support and human resources. The Wroclaw branch allowed the company to centralize know-how, optimize the efficiency of its processes, increase competitiveness and improve the quality of its services to internal and external customers.

The opening of the new Olympus subsidiary has resulted in the creation of 300 new jobs in the finance, supply chain management and sales support departments, among others.

The capital of Lower Silesia has a very good university base and tremendous support at the practical level, which has given it an advantage over other cities. We were also charmed by the Wroclaw atmosphere and cultural life.

Tomasz Mrzyglod, managing director of Olympus Polska Sp. z o.o.

Also in 2018, an international supplier of parts for the automotive and industrial sectors - the German company Schaeffler - opened its Business and IT Services Center for Europe in Wroclaw. This manufacturer of precision components and systems for automotive engines, transmissions and chassis has hired 800 people in the capital of Lower Silesia.

Wroclaw offers excellent conditions. Here you can find highly motivated and qualified employees who speak various languages, as well as good infrastructure. In our center, we want to improve internal services for the Group and thus increase the company's competitiveness.

Dietmar Heinrich, CFO of Schaeffler AG

On the other hand, the opening of the Boehringer Ingelheim Business Services Center was officially announced in 2021. It is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. The tycoon has around 52,000 employees in more than 130 countries.

- We are happy to have a presence in Wroclaw," Andreas Hilf, Head of Corporate Global Business Services at Boehringer Ingelheim, said at the time. - What this city gives us is, first of all, a large talent pool. Highly skilled professionals with strong language skills are present in the local market. But just as importantly, the thriving ecosystem of Wroclaw's Shared Service Centers and technology infrastructure allow us to grow very smoothly and quickly. The corporation has then created 350 jobs.

And in 2022, BASF opened a new office in Wroclaw for its catalysts and precious metals business. For this purpose, the corporation opened a new company, BASF Environmental Catalyst and Metal Solutions, and hired more than 70 people in global functional structures in finance, human resources, IT, tax, procurement and environment, health and safety (HSE).

In turn, 500 new jobs were created by GlobalLogic, a Hitachi Group Company, which develops cutting-edge technologies in the automotive industry, Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things. It has opened in Wroclaw the most modern office and laboratories of this company in Poland. The investment cost PLN 60 million. The company planned to double its employment.

That same year, Godel Technologies, which deals with software development, engineering and data analysis, digital transformation, artificial intelligence and machine learning, also opened its office in Wroclaw. It specializes in projects for the energy, automotive, financial and e-commerce industries. It created 300 jobs here at the time. The company chose the capital of Lower Silesia because, its representatives say, Wroclaw is known as the "Silicon Valley" of Poland.

In 2023, the German drugstore chain dm invested in the capital of Lower Silesia. The company opened its stores here, but also its first international branch in Poland, which employed 300 IT specialists. Its purpose is to support technological support for customers and employees of dm drugstores, and to implement new IT projects in all countries where the brand is present.

In turn, 170 new jobs were created thanks to the investment of the US company Grid Dynamics, which specializes in consulting, engineering and data science services for Fortune 1000 corporations in the financial, technology and retail sectors. With the expansion of operations and a move to a larger office, Big Data, Cloud and DevOps developers, Java, Node.js, Python, Delivery managers, and HR, marketing and finance specialists have found jobs there.

Industry 4.0 is booming

In 2019. 150 people have found jobs at the new Siemens plant - primarily in technical positions, but also project managers. At that time, in the village of Mirkow, near Wroclaw, in the municipality of Dlugolęka, the concern began production of modern control cabinets for Industry 4.0. A properly configured cabinet is the brain of any modern factory, without which automated production cannot take place. With the increasing automation of industry, the demand for cabinets continues to grow. Their absence, failure or inadequate design can inhibit the work of a factory for weeks. This necessitates rapid expansion of production potential, dispersing production and locating it close to the end user. In Poland, the company produces more than a thousand such cabinets a year, which significantly contributes to the development of the country's Industry 4.0. The equipment manufactured here is also exported to other European Union countries.

The year 2021 brought the capital of Lower Silesia several important investments. Among the corporations that decided to locate their branches here was global medical device manufacturer Align Technology, which opened in Wroclaw its first manufacturing plant in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region. The company manufactures and sells the Invisalign® system, iTero™ intraoral scanners and exocad CAD/CAM™ software used in orthodontics and restorative dentistry. This is Align's third regional manufacturing center in the world, following Juarez in Mexico and Ziyang in China. The investment has created 2,500 jobs in Wroclaw.

In the same year, the global giant in the market for navigation devices and GPS receivers, US-based Garmin, also invested in the agglomeration. It opened its plant in Biskupice Podgorne, near Wroclaw, where it manufactures automotive infotainment devices and consumer electronics for European customers.

Sean Biddlecombe, managing director of Garmin EMEA, emphasized that with nearby highways and an airport, as well as the opportunity to work with a highly skilled workforce, Garmin Wroclaw is an ideal location for Europe's first manufacturing facility focused on serving their automotive customers across the region. The company has hired 300 process engineers, technicians and assembly operators.

In contrast, 250 new jobs have been created by the U.S.-based Altimetrik, which opened a branch in Wroclaw in February 2021. The company is dedicated to supporting the development of digital business. It provides solutions that allow organizations to scale up digitization to accelerate revenue growth without disrupting current business operations.

Altimetrik has more than 2,500 employees in its branches around the world. It works with Fortune 500 companies and mid-sized companies to increase their agility and empower them.

In 2022 alone, as many as 18 companies decided to launch their operations in the capital of Lower Silesia or expand plants already operating here, creating 4,000 jobs in innovative manufacturing and service companies.

Among the largest investments of 2022, it is impossible not to mention the world's first Mercedes electric van factory, located 70 km from Wroclaw, in Jawor. The corporation has allocated as much as €1 billion for this purpose, and work has been found more than 2,500 people there.

Undoubtedly, an unforgettable year, as far as investments in the Wroclaw area are concerned, is the year 2023. It was then that the decision was made that the Semiconductor Test Integration Plant of the American company Intel would be built in the municipality of Miękinia. This gigantic investment worth $4.6 billion means increasing the company's production and meeting the growing demand for advanced semiconductors. There will be work for at least 2,000 people. Recruitment has already begun. Construction and infrastructure design specialists, engineers, managers, technicians and many other construction or business (HR, finance, supply chain) specialists can count on employment.

Poland is already the site of Intel's operations. The country's geographic location will allow effective cooperation with the company's production facilities in Germany and Ireland. This solution is very competitive in terms of cost compared to other manufacturing locations globally, while offering great potential related to the talent base we will help develop. 

Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel

In turn, the U.S. PepsiCo, one of the world's largest producers and marketers of beverages and food products, decided to locate its state-of-the-art Frito Lay potato chip plant a dozen kilometers from Wroclaw, in the village of Swięte in the Sroda Slaska municipality. It has invested more than PLN 1 billion in the venture. The new factory will become PepsiCo's largest and most environmentally sustainable facility in Europe. It will create 450 jobs in the region, and products manufactured at the plant will be exported to more than 20 European countries.

They have put down roots for good

For its part, 3M, a conglomerate specializing in biopharmaceutical filtration technology, among other things, has announced that it will spend $146 million in expanding its production capacity to further support the biotechnology industry. The investment will include the construction of a factory and the creation of 60 new jobs at 3M's production facilities in Wroclaw, Poland. Construction of the new plant, which will be built in Wroclaw on Kwidzynska Street, will begin in 2024.

The corporation's planned investment is expected to increase the availability of essential filtration equipment for biopharmaceutical companies. They will use a unique system that captures contaminants while not acting as a barrier to medicinal substances. About 60 people will gain jobs thanks to this project.

3M Poland Manufacturing Sp. z o.o. is part of the global technology and manufacturing company 3M, which creates innovative solutions to improve the quality of people's lives.

Among the great undertakings of the past year was also the Bosch Group's investment worth PLN 1.2 billion. Thanks to it, a new plant producing heat pumps will be built in Dobromierz, 70 km from Wroclaw. The new factory will create 500 new jobs by 2027.

Meanwhile, 3M Global Service Center Poland, which handles sales, marketing, finance, purchasing, HR and IT processes in Wroclaw, among others, will move its operations to the largest office building in Wroclaw MidPoint71 on Powstancow Slaskich Street in 2022. The center serves more than 80 countries, including countries in the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, Africa).

Also, BNY Mellon, provider of a platform through which entrepreneurs build their businesses and individuals build their fortunes, which has been present in Wroclaw for 13 years, has announced an expansion of its operations here in 2023. It has also opened a branch of the European Bank as part of its structures in the Lower Silesian capital. It plans to hire another 1,500 people.

Wroclaw is an extremely important location for BNY Mellon, the Polish workforce already accounts for 5 percent of our total staff, and soon it will be 8 percent. We aim to employ around 4,000 people in this location in the future.

Roman Regelman, vice president and general manager of Securities Services and Digital at BNY Mellon

Lower Silesia is the Polish "Silicon Valley"

In both 2022 and 2023, Lower Silesia has already received the honorable title of "Poland's Silicon Valley." - according to a just-published report prepared annually by Startup Poland. It turns out that it is in Wroclaw and its surroundings that the largest number of startups in the country is being created. It is here that as many as 28 percent of all Polish startups are registered. The second place in this regard is occupied by Mazovia (19 percent) and the third place by Malopolska (12 percent).

- The leading position among the regions, achieved twice in a row, is a great pride and motivation, says Paulina Muszynska, head of Startup Wroclaw This is not a coincidence, but a well used creative potential, location and, above all, a wonderfully cooperative ecosystem.

Wroclaw appreciated in Poland and around the world

Both the multitude of investors locating their business in Wroclaw and its surroundings, as well as the number of new jobs created here, contribute to the fact that the city is appreciated in terms of business not only in the country, but also abroad.  This is confirmed by numerous prestigious awards and distinctions. One of them was received during the European Local Government Forum Local Trends held in Poznan. The capital of Lower Silesia turned out then to be the best in the Forbes magazine's ranking of Business-Friendly Cities.

Wroclaw is also the highest ranked non-capital city in Central and Eastern Europe, taking into account economic indicators, according to the report prepared by Eurostat. It also became the highest ranked Central European city in the Globalization and World Cities global ranking, which includes cities from around the world.

In turn, for the second year in a row, according to the "Polish Startups" report prepared by the Startup Poland Foundation, Wroclaw and its surroundings are the region with the largest number of startups.

Meanwhile, the Wroclaw Agglomeration Development Agency can boast the Lower Silesian Keys of Success, which it received this year in the category "For a Lower Silesian company that best cooperates with the local community."